Week 44 - Day Two: Slowing Down

BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 24 min.
TIME BACK: 24 min.
WEATHER: clear, 15C, 15 km/hr headwinds there; clear, 25C, 17 km/hr tailwinds back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga capris, t-shirt
NOTES:

On the way home yesterday, I eschewed my usual summer residential-road route in favour of my winter main-road route to see if I might get home faster that way. I pedaled like a maniac, motivated by the speed of the cars whizzing by so close to me. I panted and sweated while my thighs and lungs burned, and I managed to get home in record end-of-the-day time (I've never done 22 minutes home, only in the mornings when I hit fewer lights). The downside was that between the exhaust I was breathing, the degree to which I was pushing myself, and the heat and humidity of the late afternoon, I was starting to feel nauseous by the end of the ride.

So, today, I've decided to take 'er easy. Not that I had much of a choice, mind you - this morning I felt so worn out from eating too little and biking too hard yesterday that I felt completely incapable of going any faster, even if I wanted to. I cruised to work and I cruised home, getting around at a comfortable speed and making pretty average time. It was significantly more pleasant that way. I sure prefer cycling at that kind of pace rather than the higher speeds I'm capable of hitting when I really push myself.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's just about getting there. I'm a commuter, not a competitor, so I don't need to ride faster than everyone else on the street or beat my own record time. I don't need to push myself until it hurts. I don't need to turn myself off of bike-commuting for the sake of a faster ride. I just need to get there, and get back - ideally in one piece. And when I think like that - taking the competitiveness out of it - I appreciate cycling a whole lot more.